It was another productive outcome as I went 23-4 (85 percent) last week. Heading into the final week of January, my overall record is now 198-42, which has me at 83 percent for the season.
MONDAY
LaLumiere (8-3) at Adams (8-6): Will Chang racked up 16 points in the Lakers’ 70-60 win over Victory Christian. Thomas More. Carter Johnston chipped in four points in the Eagles’ 61-57 overtime loss at Elkhart. Matt’s pick: LaLumiere 72, Adams 64.
TUESDAY
Fairfield (5-6) at Mishawaka (5-9): The Cavemen clubbed Fairfield, 57-45, during the 2022-23 campaign. Matthew Holsopple ended with 10 points in the Falcons’ 60-43 loss to Westview. Brady Hoopingarner’s two points were not enough in Mishawaka’s 83-44 loss to Northridge. Matt’s pick: Mishawaka 54, Fairfield 50.
Jimtown (7-7) at Elkhart Christian (3-10): The Jimmies needed overtime to claim a 57-56 win over Elkhart Christian a season ago. Ed Potter racked up 11 points in Jimtown’s 82-58 loss to Washington. Jaden Vida had five points in the Eagles’ 64-34 loss to Lakeland. Matt’s pick: Jimtown 65, Elkhart Christian 53.
LaVille (10-5) at Career Academy (1-14): The Lancers downed Career Academy, 61-32, in last year’s Class 2A sectional quarterfinals. Lance Edison chipped in eight points in LaVille’s 39-37 win over No. 5 (Class 1A) Triton. The Trailblazers were outscored 24-6 in the third quarter in a 63-37 loss to Bethany Christian. Matt’s pick: LaVille 61, Career Academy 42.
Northridge (11-2) at Penn (9-6): The Kingsmen posted a 39-34 win over Northridge in the 2024 Class 4A Elkhart Sectional quarterfinals. Kam Radeker accounted for 23 points for the Raiders against Mishawaka. Peyton Miamba’s eight points lifted Penn to a 67-66 win over Fort Wayne Wayne. Matt’s pick: Penn 69, Northridge 66.
Wawasee (4-10) at Bethany Christian (8-8): The Bruins went to double overtime last year to post a 60-55 win over Wawasee. Nolan Holzwart managed 20 points in the Warriors’ 67-48 loss to No. 6 (Class 4A) Warsaw. Jacoby Reinhard finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds in Bethany Christian’s 76-39 win over Hamilton. Matt’s pick: Wawasee 44, Bethany Christian 40.
WEDNESDAY
Oregon-Davis (0-14) at Knox (0-10): The Redskins recorded a 52-33 win over Oregon-Davis a season ago. The Bobcats were limited to four points in the third quarter in a 57-32 loss to New Prairie. Myles McLaughlin poured in 16 points in Knox’s 54-50 loss to North Judson. Matt’s pick: Knox 38, Oregon-Davis 35.
FRIDAY
Bremen (8-7, 2-1 INSC) at Jimtown (8-7, 3-0 INSC): The Jimmies posted a 50-42 win over Bremen last year. Bryce Miller had a two-point basket in the Lions’ 58-48 overtime loss to LaVille. Javen Jackson’s nine points allowed Jimtown to escape with a 45-43 win over Elkhart Christian. Matt’s pick: Bremen 47, Jimtown 45.
Elkhart (4-10, 1-2 NIC) at Saint Joseph (13-2, 2-1 NIC): The No. 2 (Class 3A) Huskies roared past Elkhart, 77-50, a year ago. Frankie Willis tossed in 12 points in the Lions’ 61-57 overtime victory over Adams. Chase Konieczny had eight points for Saint Joseph in its 72-60 win over No. 5 (Class 3A) NorthWood. Matt’s pick: Saint Joseph 79, Elkhart 58.
Glenn (2-12, 0-3 INSC) at Knox (0-11, 0-3 INSC): The Falcons flew past Knox, 40-37, last season. Matt Pearish finished with eight points as Glenn halted an 11-game losing skid with a 41-27 win over Culver. Teagan Johnson scored four points in the Redskins’ 37-25 loss to Lewis Cass. Matt’s pick: Glenn 33, Knox 28.
LaVille (11-5, 1-2 INSC) at Tippecanoe Valley (10-4, 3-0 INSC): The Vikings marched to a 54-40 win over LaVille a season ago. Dylan Miller chipped in three points in the Lancers’ 69-36 win at Career Academy. Hunter Stage added three points in Tippecanoe Valley’s 67-37 win over Glenn. Matt’s pick: Tippecanoe Valley 50, LaVille 48.
Mishawaka (5-10, 1-3 NLC) at Goshen (7-7, 1-3 NLC): The Cavemen clubbed Goshen, 50-44, during the 2023-24 campaign. Landon Snyder notched 10 points Mishawaka’s 69-61 overtime loss to Fairfield. Evan Timmons added five points in the RedHawks’ 62-43 loss to No. 5 (Class 3A) NorthWood. Matt’s pick: Goshen 55, Mishawaka 51.
NorthWood (14-2, 4-0 NLC) at Warsaw (14-3, 4-0 NLC): The No. 5 (Class 4A) Tigers edged No. 5 (Class 3A) NorthWood, 35-34, in their last meeting. Tyler Raasch’s 33 points were not enough for the Panthers against Saint Joseph. Brandt Martin recorded 22 points in Warsaw’s 79-57 win at Fort Wayne North. Matt’s pick: Warsaw 60, NorthWood 57.
Penn (9-7, 3-0 NIC) at Adams (9-6, 0-3 NIC): The Kingsmen crowned Adams, 60-37, last season. Ethan Good came up with 18 points for Penn in its 63-54 loss against Northridge. Jarvis Tolbert helped the Eagles snap a six-game losing streak with 25 points in a 64-53 decision over LaLumiere Regional. Matt’s pick: Penn 66, Adams 59.
Plymouth (8-6, 2-2 NLC) at Northridge (12-2, 2-2 NLC): The Raiders ran past Plymouth, 79-62, last year. Trent VanDuyne registered 17 points in the Pilgrims’ 60-35 win at Wawasee. Hayden Johnson accounted for 21 points for Northridge against Penn. Matt’s pick: Northridge 64, Plymouth 54.
Riley (11-3, 2-1 NIC) at New Prairie (3-10, 0-2 NIC): The Wildcats clawed their way to a 71-45 win over New Prairie a season ago. Tyrese Jones racked up 11 points in Riley’s 68-61 win over Marian. Cayden Mayfield amassed four points in the Cougars’ 57-32 win over Oregon-Davis. Matt’s pick: Riley 73, New Prairie 50.
Washington (11-2, 1-1 NIC) at Marian (10-6, 2-1 NIC): The Knights downed Washington, 51-47, in the 2024 Class 3A sectional quarterfinals. Ashton Murray scored four points in the Panthers’ 82-58 win over Jimtown. Brandon Foster mustered seven points for Marian against Riley. Matt’s pick: Washington 67, Marian 63.
Wawasee (5-10, 0-4 NLC) at Concord (9-5, 2-2 NLC): The Minutemen earned a 49-39 win over Wawasee a year ago. Kane Dukes poured in 32 points in the Warriors’ 60-57 win at Bethany Christian. Carson Weirich totaled 11 points in Concord’s 64-38 loss to No. 5 (Class 4A) Warsaw. Matt’s pick: Concord 48, Wawasee 38.
SATURDAY
Concord (10-5) at LaPorte (11-6): The Slicers suffered a 56-50 loss to Concord last year. Noah Culp tallied two points for the Minutemen in their 63-26 win over Plymouth. Nic Spence accounted for 19 points and 12 rebounds in LaPorte’s 74-63 loss at Michigan City. Matt’s pick: LaPorte 61, Concord 58.
Crown Point (13-0) at Washington (11-3): The Panthers dropped an 85-64 decision to No. 2 (Class 4A) Crown Point a season ago. Dikembe Shaw’s 13 points lifted the Bulldogs to a 50-49 win at Chesterton. Jaydon Lineberry amassed eight points in Washington’s 71-66 win over Valparaiso. Matt’s pick: Crown Point 74, Washington 65.
Knox (1-11) at West Central (9-5): The Redskins cruised to a 76-33 win over West Central a year ago. Kohl Jordan totaled nine points in Knox’s 44-41 loss to Oregon-Davis. Christian Hughes racked up 11 points in the Trojans’ 42-37 loss to Pioneer. Matt’s pick: West Central 43, Knox 34.
New Prairie (3-11) at South Central (8-8): The Cougars slipped past South Central, 49-48, last season. Jagger Daniels ended with two points in New Prairie’s 64-37 loss to LaVille. Noah Howard came up with 20 points in the Satellites’ 62-59 loss to No. 9 (Class 1A) Washington Township. Matt’s pick: South Central 50, New Prairie 47.
Northridge (13-2) at Riley (12-3): The No. 10 (Class 4A) Raiders escaped with a 42-41 win over Riley in their previous meeting. Brady Scholl mustered 10 points in Northridge’s 50-46 loss to No. 5 (Class 3A) NorthWood. Isaiah Packer netted 15 points in the Wildcats’ 70-51 win over Adams. Matt’s pick: Riley 75, Northridge 71.
Penn (10-7) at Goshen (8-7): The RedHawks are looking to make amends for a 60-57 loss to Penn last year. John Bedient notched four points in the Kingsmen’s 43-31 win over Adams. Evan Timmons recorded two points in Goshen’s 62-42 loss to No. 5 (Class 4A) Warsaw. Matt’s pick: Penn 62, Goshen 53;
Warsaw (15-3) at Elkhart (4-11): The Lions came up on the short end of a 43-40 setback to No. 5 (Class 4A) Warsaw a season ago. Luke Bricker registered 10 points in the Tigers’ 59-55 win over Penn. Alex Watson’s two points was not enough in Elkhart’s 66-61 loss to Michigan City. Matt’s pick: Warsaw 65, Elkhart 56.
Wawasee (5-11) at Lakeland (10-5): The Lakers claimed a 55-53 win against Wawasee in the 2024 Class 3A sectional opener. Brayden Miller had four points in the Warriors’ 40-37 loss at Mishawaka, Keyan Arroyo scored 20 points in Lakeland’s 53-48 loss to East Noble. Matt’s pick: Lakeland 54, Wawasee 45.